Improving knowledge and decreasing depressive symptoms in caregivers of children with asthma through the asthma academy: A randomized controlled trial

Perspectives and experiences of mothers of school-age children with asthma: a qualitative study

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

This study aimed to explore the perspectives and experiences of mothers of school-age children with asthma in care.

METHODS

A phenomenological study was conducted using qualitative research methods from August 2021 to November 2021. Mothers (from Sichuan, China) of school-aged children with asthma who sought outpatient care at the pediatric asthma clinic were purposively sampled based on their occupation, education level, and duration of their child's illness. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted in consultation room A07 of the pediatric asthma clinic. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

23 mothers expressed interest, but data saturation was reached after recruiting 15 mothers.Four main themes encompassing ten sub-themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Negative psychological burden, with sub-themes including anxiety shock, fear of death, guilt, and stigma. (2) Family dysfunction, with sub-themes including impaired quality of life, family emotional crisis, and heavy economic burden. (3) Difficulty in seeking medical treatment. (4) Active response, with sub-themes including emotional adjustment, family empowerment, and social support.

CONCLUSIONS

In this sample, the caregiving experience of mothers of school-age children with asthma is diverse and complex, reflected not only in personal psychological aspects but also in family functioning and social support. Taking into account various factors, such as addressing psychological well-being, emphasizing family and social support, and promoting the sharing of positive experiences, may result in more effective alleviation of caregiving stress for mothers of school-age children with asthma.

Use of Text Messaging to Help Family Caregivers: An Integrative Review

Text messaging is a promising family-centered intervention to promote health and prevent illness among children. Little is known about the effectiveness of texting parents of children with chronic conditions on health outcomes. The aims of this integrative review were to determine what ways texting has been used as an intervention to help family caregivers and examine the outcomes from the use of texting to help family caregivers. Applying Whittemore and Knafl's method of integrative review, 16 studies were reviewed. The majority of studies suggested that text message-based health interventions were feasible and acceptable for parents of children with chronic conditions. Of the studies that examined effectiveness of the interventions, six studies noted effectiveness, four studies noted results signifying no differences, and two studies obtained insignificant results. Although the state of the science regarding health providers' use of text messaging to support parents of children with chronic illness is in its early stage, text messaging demonstrates potential to assist parents to better manage their child's chronic disease. More research is warranted in the future to determine the effectiveness as well as best practices in text messaging.

Asthma academy: A student nurse-led telehealth education program for low-income family caregivers of children with asthma

AIMS

The aims of the Asthma Academy study were to (1) evaluate the telehealth performance of DNP students, (2) evaluate the perceived learning experience of DNP students and (3) investigate whether an association exists related to student performance and family caregiver outcomes.

DESIGN

A descriptive study was conducted with doctor of nursing practice students.

METHODS

Students conducted telehealth visits to help family caregivers of children with asthma and were rated on their performance by two faculty members using a rubric. Student perception data were gathered via survey.

RESULTS

Out of a total possible score of 15 points, the mean telehealth performance score of students was 13.38 points. Students indicated the telehealth experience was valuable and that they were satisfied with their learning. This model of leveraging telehealth to bridge nursing students to the community may be adapted to help family caregivers of children with various disease foci.